Universal communications identifier

ABSTRACT

An approach is provided for supporting a plurality of communication modes through universal identification. A core identifier is generated for uniquely identifying a user among a plurality of users within the communication system. One or more specific identifiers are derived based upon the core identifier, wherein the specific identifiers serve as addressing information to the respective communication modes. The specific identifiers and the core identifier are designated as a suite of identifiers allocated to the user.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.10/975,215, filed Oct. 28, 2004, which claims the benefit of the earlierfiling date under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of, U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/537,896, filed Jan. 22, 2004; the entireties ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to communications, and more particularly,to providing integrated communication services.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Given the competitive landscape of communication services, serviceproviders need to be more innovative in seeking new sources of revenue.When developing new services, service providers are ever mindful ofcost. In general, the introduction of new communication servicesrequires a large investment in new infrastructure, not to mentiondevelopment costs. It is observed that, despite the popularity of theInternet and its many applications, the development of datacommunications has remained largely independent from voicecommunications and telephony services. In other words, the advancementin services on the telephony side has not been well integrated on thedata network side. A key problem with the development of the numerous,diverse communication services concerns addressing, whereby users ofsuch services find managing the multiplicity of telephone numbers,emails, user identifiers, etc. increasingly intractable.

Conventionally, a user is required to employ several disparate systemsand service providers to engage in various modes of communication,ranging from telephony to instant messaging services. Generally, eachcommunication system may employ a different addressing scheme by whichparties or devices are specified. For example, a user may have one ormore telephones numbers; e.g., home number, work number, and cellularnumber. Additionally, the user may also have pager or facsimile devices,each with their own telephone numbers. Beyond these telephony-basedservices, other staple communication services are executed over datacommunication networks, such as electronic mail andinformation/entertainment delivery. The popularity of instant messaginghas also afforded the user with yet another avenue to communicate. Yetanother way that the user may engage in communication is through use ofa web site. For each of these modes of communication, the user is forcedto use different separate accounts with different telephone numbersand/or addresses. For example, cable television requires use of asubscriber's name and street address.

Therefore, there is a need for an integrated approach to providingcomprehensive communication services. There is also a need to deploy acommunications service that utilizes existing infrastructure. There is afurther need to support a new source of revenue for communicationservices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other needs are addressed by the present invention, in whichan approach is presented for providing a services overlay networkencompassing a data network and a telephony network to supportcomprehensive communication services. These communication services caninclude toll free telephony service, paging, audio conferencing, videoconferencing, electronic mail, and instant messaging. A suite ofidentifiers are assigned to a subscriber, wherein the identifiersinclude a core identifier providing a unique identifier for thesubscriber within the overlay network, as well as one or more specificidentifiers corresponding to different communication modes or services.The specific identifiers provide addressing information for therespective communication modes, and can be derived based upon the coreidentifier by concatenating (or “encapsulating”) the core identifierwith text relevant to the corresponding communication mode. With theabove arrangement, a party seeking to contact the subscriber need onlyhave knowledge of one of the identifiers to reach the subscriber overany communication medium.

Also, the overlay network retrieves a profile of the user, wherein theprofile specifies a plurality of addresses relating to the onecommunication service. The above arrangement advantageously provides anintegrated approach to communication services using existingcommunication infrastructure. This approach also provides serviceproviders with a new, viable source of revenue.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for providinguniversal identification in a communication system supporting aplurality of communication modes is disclosed. The method includesgenerating a core identifier for uniquely identifying a user among aplurality of users within the communication system. The method alsoincludes deriving one or more specific identifiers based upon the coreidentifier, wherein the specific identifiers serve as addressinginformation to the respective communication modes. Further, the methodincludes storing the specific identifiers and the core identifier, anddesignating the specific identifiers and the core identifier as a suiteof identifiers allocated to the user.

According to another aspect of the present invention, acomputer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of one or moreinstructions for providing universal identification in a communicationsystem supporting a plurality of communication modes is disclosed. Theone or more sequences of one or more instructions including instructionswhich, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or moreprocessors to perform the step of generating a core identifier foruniquely identifying a user among a plurality of users within thecommunication system. Another step includes deriving one or morespecific identifiers based upon the core identifier, wherein thespecific identifiers serve as addressing information to the respectivecommunication modes. Additional other steps include storing the specificidentifiers and the core identifier, and designating the specificidentifiers and the core identifier as a suite of identifiers allocatedto the user.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a computing systemfor supporting universal identification is disclosed. The systemincludes a processor configured to generate a core identifier foruniquely identifying a user among a plurality of users, wherein theprocessor is further configured to derive one or more specificidentifiers based upon the core identifier, the specific identifiersserving as addressing information to respective communication modes. Thesystem also includes a memory configured to store the specificidentifiers and the core identifier, wherein the specific identifiersand the core identifier are designated as a suite of identifiersallocated to the user.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method ofenabling inter-party communications is disclosed. The method includesassigning a suite of communication identifiers to a communicationsubscriber drawn from a pool of candidate communication subscribers. Thesuite of communication identifiers includes a primary communicationidentifier and at least one secondary communication identifier. Theprimary communication identifier singularly identifies the communicationsubscriber among the pool of candidate subscribers and serves as anaddress for the communication subscriber in a first communicationmedium. Each secondary communication identifier serves as an address forthe communication subscriber in an alternate communication medium; eachsecondary communication identifier including the primary communicationidentifier and a medium identifier indicative of a correspondingalternate communication medium.

Still other aspects, features, and advantages of the present inventionare readily apparent from the following detailed description, simply byillustrating a number of particular embodiments and implementations,including the best mode contemplated for carrying out the presentinvention. The present invention is also capable of other and differentembodiments, and its several details can be modified in various obviousrespects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention. Accordingly, the drawing and description are to be regardedas illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by wayof limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in whichlike reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a communication system employing a servicesoverlay network for providing communication services, according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are, respectively, a diagram showing identifiersuniquely associated with users of the communication system of FIG. 1,and a flowchart of the process for generating the identifiers accordingto an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an intelligent service node capable ofimplementing the services overlay network of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing exemplary content of a user profile, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram of an instant communication environment supportingthe communication services of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a diagram of an exemplary graphical user interface (GUI) forsupporting Find and Presence functions, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 7 is a diagram of the directories utilized in implementing the Findservice initiated by the GUI of FIG. 6, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a diagram of a computer system that can be used to implementan embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A system, method, and software for supporting addressing in an overlaynetwork providing comprehensive communication services are described. Inthe following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present invention. It is apparent, however, to oneskilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced withoutthese specific details or with an equivalent arrangement. In otherinstances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagramform in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a communication system employing a servicesoverlay network for providing communication services, according to anembodiment of the present invention. A communication system 100 can bedeployed to provide integrated, comprehensive communication services,ranging from traditional telephony services with enhanced callingfeatures to instant communication (or instant messaging) services. Asseen, an overlay network 101 accommodates a variety of media and modesof communication, advantageously providing flexibility andcustomizability in the manner such communications are conducted. Thenetwork 101 provides numerous enhanced features, e.g., as directory andconferencing services, to facilitate establishment of communicationsessions among parties. The overlay network 101 is “comprehensive” in asense that a single subscription or user account encompasses severalmodes of communication across different communication platforms.

It is recognized that the efficiency and convenience of the multitude ofcommunication modes could be improved if consistency in addressing canbe ensured. Accordingly, in conjunction with the diverse and variedservice offerings, the network 101 allocates to a subscriber acoordinated set of identifiers of addresses for use across the platformscorresponding to the communications modes. This greatly simplifiescontacting a user through any of the available modes of communication.As used herein, the term “subscriber” pertains to a human user ororganization, or can denote a system (e.g., directory system,telecommunication platform, eXtensible Markup Language (XML) web serviceconsumer, host, etc.)

By way of example, given that the services are comprehensive and involvea multiplicity of different communication platforms, the services aresupported with an overlay network 101 controlled by a service provider.The services overlay network 101 encompasses the following componentsand subsystems: a presence information server 103, an e-mail server 105,a media server 107, a shared web and file system space 109, an activedirectory 111, and a relational database 113 (e.g., Structured QueryLanguage (SQL) based system), and a certificate and security server 115.In addition, the services overlay network 101 supports telephonyservices over data communication systems (e.g., Voice over InternetProtocol (VoIP)) through, for example, a Session Initiation Protocol(SIP) proxy 117. Further, a voice mail system 119 is included in theoverlay network 101, as well as a video services system 121. Extensiveconferencing capabilities are offered by a conferencing gateway 123 anda live meeting conferencing system 125, such as an application or screensharing service. An intelligent information translator 126 can also besupported by the services overlay network 101. The translator 126 canprovide protocol translation among disparate communication systems, andconversion among different communication modalities, as well aslinguistic services (e.g., conversion from English to Chinese).

Under this exemplary scenario, the service provider also has anoperation support system (OSS) 127, which supplies a variety ofmanagement and operational functions relating to the services overlaynetwork 101. From a business perspective, the OSS 127 contains a billingmodule 129 for tracking usage and applying appropriate charges, aservices provisioning module 131 for procuring the communicationservices, a sales module 133 to support sales activities, and a businessintelligence module 135 for effecting business rules and policies. TheOSS 127 further includes a network engineering module 137 for providingmaintenance and monitoring activities to ensure proper performance ofthe services overlay network 101. A fraud module 139 is provided tomonitor potential fraudulent activities associated with the manycommunication services offered by the services overlay network 101.Further, a logging and audit module 141 is included for trackingactivities of the network 101.

In this example, a circuit-switched telephony system 143 operated by theservice provider employs Class 3 and/or Class 5 switches to communicatewith a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) 145, which servestelephone stations 147. The telephony system 143 also has access to acellular network 149 supporting cellular devices (e.g., cell phone 151).

As shown, the services overlay network 101 has connectivity via anoverlay network common interface 150 to a public data network, such asthe global Internet 153, which can support a multitude of devices (e.g.,desktop PCs, laptops, Personal Digital Assistant (PDAs), smart phones,set top box, or other network device) and clients (e.g., browser, IMclient, etc.). The overlay network common interface 150 provides acommon, reusable access point to the business services within theoverlay network 101 so that the functions of this network 101 can beinstantiated, modified, queried, monitored, audited and used in astandardized manner (e.g., eXtensible Markup Language (XML) webservice).

Because of the breadth of communication service offerings inconventional systems, a user can engage in varying modes ofcommunication, which as noted above involves use of diversecommunication platforms. For example, when a first user (“callingparty”) wishes to communicate with another user (“called party”), or tolocate or obtain information about the called party, the calling partyselects a mode of communication and then recalls or obtains an addressor identifier that is compatible with the mode of communication. Theidentifier specifies the called party or at least a device (e.g., phone,fax machine, computer, gaming console, television, etc.) that the calledparty is believed to be using for the communications. The calling partymay then attempt to communicate using the chosen communication mode. Ifthis attempt is unsuccessful, the calling party may have to select adifferent mode, apply a different address pertaining to the alternativemode and attempt communications again.

Terms such as “calling party” and “called party” are used herein torefer to parties that are to engage in communication, not simply in thecontext of telephony communications. In many of the scenarios describedbelow, the “called party” will usually be a subscriber of the servicesupplied by the overlay network 101. For convenience, these terms areborrowed from the familiar field of traditional telephony, but it shouldbe understood that many forms of communication may be sought andachieved other than a telephone call. Furthermore, the resultantcommunications may be real-time, two-way communications, such astelephony, or may be unidirectional or “asynchronous” like the sendingof voice-mail and e-mail.

Beyond telephone numbers, a user may maintain other addressinginformation corresponding to other communication services, such ase-mail, and instant communications. These modes of communication involvea packet-switched data network as a primary transport. For each of thesemodes of communication, conventionally, the user possesses many separateaccounts or may have a single account associated with several aliases.Yet another way that the user may be available, in some sense, in acommunications environment is through a web site, or similar sharednetwork based space. In this instance, the user may post information forothers to view and respond to.

In the case of telephone communications, the “Find-me” feature has beenimplemented to try to reach a called party at multiple locations,thereby alleviating the need for a calling party to remember thenumerous telephone numbers and to manually dial such numbers. As afurther refinement, the list of phone numbers associated with the calledparty and maintained by the network is frequently updated to improve thelikelihood of reaching the called party as quickly and efficiently aspossible.

Another approach developed in telephony systems involves providingmultiple services via a single call to an interactive platform, wherebya so-called “single number platform” provides telephone, pager,facsimile and voice-mail deposit. Even under these systems, other modesof communication, such as those supported over data communicationsnetworks, are excluded from this single number platform because suchservices employ an entirely different infrastructure in terms ofhardware and software.

While Find-me features and single number platform approaches providesome relief in telephony communications, neither approach, astraditionally deployed, addresses the problem of managing the manydisparate systems, interfaces, addressing schemes and different serviceproviders associated with the variety of communication modes.Furthermore, traditional Find-me feature seeks to locate a called partyon a trial-and-error (and often sequential) basis, which can be slow,inefficient and inconvenient to the calling party.

By contrast to these telephony-based services, the overlay network 101integrates services from both the telephony and data arenas. The overlaynetwork 101 provides for unification of communication services as wellas supports presence mechanisms. For example, the overlay network 101seamlessly supports media crossover from telephony sessions to instantcommunication or messaging sessions and electronic mails, despite thefact that such services involve different media types (e.g., audioversus textual data) and different terminal devices or user interfaces.As a further contrast, instant messaging (IM) and e-mail communicationsare addressed using alphanumeric identifiers, which differ substantiallyfrom traditional telephone numbers.

It is recognized that “presence” information, which indicates a user'savailability to communicate at a particular device or address, plays animportant role in integrating communication services. When presence isemployed to facilitate the establishment of communications, the presenceinformation server 103 maintains timely information about where theparty may be located, at least logically, within the communicationssystem 100. Presence can be conveyed in a number of ways. For instance,a subscriber using some form of communication device, such as a SIPtelephone or an instant messaging client, can explicitly indicate theiravailability to communicate by performing a registration or by simplylogging into an interface. The centralized presence information, asprovided by the overlay network 101 via the presence information server103, provides for multi-modes of access for updating presence status.

To appreciate the architectural advantages provided by the servicesoverlay network 101, an alternative scenario is described such that thefunctionalities of the network 101 (to the extent possible) are effectedat the end-user equipment, as opposed to the network. The end user canconceivably achieve a limited integration or interoperation among, forexample, telephony, IM and e-mail. That is, because these various modesof communication converge within the one computer, it may be possible toprovide some rudimentary degree of integration. The availability of allthese capabilities relies upon the user's personal computer remainingoperational at all times and being able to access the various IM,telephone and e-mail services. This end-user approach also requires theuser to have the requisite knowledge and ability for determining how toaccomplish the desired functions and to upgrade or purchase new softwareor hardware implements as needed to support the functions. Furthermore,the user must interface with each of the separate providers of thevarious modes of communications, where applicable, to maintain an activeaccount and technical compatibility. Consequently, this approachencumbers the user with respect to time and expenses. Therefore, it isnot cost effective or convenient for most users to have to manage theircommunications environment in this manner. Further, it is not consistentwith the concept of universal service, which is required forcommunication systems.

Other problems with providing services using only end-user equipmentrelate to challenges of remote administration and the technicalconstraints that attend small scale systems. For example, the number oftelephone lines required to handle all possible combinations of inboundcalls and outbound dial-out poses a significant technical obstacle. If apersonal computer in a household or small business has two linesdedicated for enhanced features, then an inbound call involving adial-out will occupy both of the lines for the duration of thecommunication. Any other inbound calls occurring during this time wouldbe denied.

In terms of service administration, if the user needs to reconfigure thecomputer to alter service-affecting settings or retrieve voice mail ore-mail, the user may be gravely restricted in terms of interaction withthe computer. For instance, unless the personal computer supports a webinterface, an interactive voice interface and the like, the user may notbe able to enjoy the same multi-modes of access and richness offunctionality that could be provided via a network service provider.Also, as the user travels to other locations away from the “home”communications environment, the features may not freely extended toother locations because telephone lines or key communication interfacesor devices are not available. Additionally, depending on how remoteaccess to the computer is accomplished, the user's interaction with thededicated personal computer may also occupy channels of communication insuch a way as to temporarily limit the computer's ability to handleinbound communications from other parties.

The services overlay network 101 supplies managed services, whereby theencumbrances to the end users are minimized. As another example of whyit is advantageous for some application-level data and processingfunction to reside in the network, it is noted that many sophisticatedfeatures are dependent upon a combination of sets of profile orconfiguration information. Such features are impossible or veryimpractical to implement in any reliable fashion if individual computerdevices must interoperate with one another to provide coherent serviceprocessing. On the other hand, a central network-resident featureprocessor (or alternatively, a managed network of processors, such as agrid computing system) having immediate access to both profiles mayperform very fast and reliable, yet sophisticated feature processing.

Yet another advantage to having a carrier or service provider maintainresponsibility for features provided to users (or subscribers) is thatextensive testing may be performed to provide robust, well-behavedfeatures. Such testing takes into account a variety of possibleinteractions. It would be impractical, if not impossible, forsubscribers to perform the degree of testing necessary to provide suchrobust features. Furthermore, it is unreasonable to expect a largenumber of end user computers to interoperate reliably, given thecountless possible hardware and software configurations that can beutilized by these computers. Thus, it is clear that certain functionsare better suited as network services than deployment within separateequipment maintained by each user.

As described above, a service provider may offer high availability andreliability of service, high economies of scale and ubiquitous access.Aside from circumventing the above mentioned problems, the network-sideintegration of multiple modes of communication under the control of asingle service provider also makes possible new levels of usefulfunctions such as profile and presence-dependent features, which mayapply across multiple modes of communication. For example, a requestfrom a first party to communicate to a second party may be fulfilledusing any available mode of communication, and even a combination ofmodes in accordance with a rich inter-modal feature set.

A service provider may also maintain and apply per-user profile orconfiguration information that spans across applications, communicationsmodes, and physical or logical boundaries and may be readily accessedfrom any point where it is needed for communications processing and forreview and customization by the user.

By handling a number of normally disparate communications types througha single provider that can be accessed through the well defined commoninterface 150, the overlay network 101 also enables improved businessmodels. For example, the billing module 129 can adopt a metered usage orperiodic subscription-based form of billing for usage. This is incontrast to the up-front purchase or per-seat licensing arrangementstypical in the commercial deployment of software applications. Billingoptions include impromptu arrangements involving collect “calls,”calling cards, credit/debit cards, pay-per-use (or view) and otheralternate billing arrangements to which telephony or cable network usersare accustomed.

In contrast to engaging several disparate modes of communications andassociated service providers, the network 101 provides subscribers withthe convenience of “one-stop shopping” and product bundling for acomprehensive set of services and advanced features. In instances wheremonitoring and accounting of usage activity is important to a subscriber(e.g., a business entity), complete and sophisticated accounting andaudit can be enabled across all of the modes of communication.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are, respectively, a diagram showing identifiersuniquely associated with users of the communication system of FIG. 1,and a flowchart illustrating the process for generating the identifiersaccording to an embodiment of the present invention. As the serviceofferings of a service provider encompass multiple modes ofcommunication and provides new value by the combination of these modes(i.e., cross-mode features and single subscription or profile formultiple services), the service provider can advantageously supplysubscribers with a unified identity or suite of identities by whichother parties may communicate with them.

A unique identifier (i.e., “core” or “primary” identifier) 201 isassigned to each subscriber in a communications service. This assignmentcan be performed in advance or on-the-fly via an automated system or byhuman intervention (e.g., manual operator). The unique identifier servesas the “core” for a variety of address types. Upon subscribing to theservice, the unique identifier is used to reserve addresses in a varietyof name spaces corresponding to different modes of communication. In asense, the core identifier (or primary identifier) is a unique globalidentifier associated with each subscriber across all communicationservices of the overlay network 101.

The primary identifier 201, by itself, may or may not be appropriate foraddressing communications in a specific mode of communication. Theprimary identifier 201 can be, for example, a telephone number that isused for placing telephone calls; this identifier 201 can be adapted toother forms of addresses, such as e-mail addresses, by concatenatingother elements of an address, such as a domain name. That is, from thisprimary identifier, the network 101 maps to other secondary identifiers203 that are suitable for specific modes of communication.

In essence, the primary identifier 201 provides convenience to partiesseeking to contact a particular subscriber, wherein the parties needonly know one identifier corresponding to the subscriber to communicateover a number of different communication mechanisms. With the primaryidentifier, if one form of address for the subscriber is known, thenother forms of address may be readily ascertained. This mapping istransparent to the calling party. For convenience, the primaryidentifier 201 can be based upon a pre-existing identifier associatedwith the subscriber, such as a telephone number, that is already wellknown to other parties, as described in the example of FIG. 2A.

The process for generating the identifiers is as follows. In step 205, auser requests subscription to the communication services of the overlaynetwork 101. A core identifier is generated for the user, as in step207. As shown in FIG. 2A, a personal “800” number may be the primaryidentifier 201 for a given subscriber, such as “8001234567.” In step209, it is determined whether the core identifier 201 corresponds to anaddress that can be used by one of the communication modes. If the coreidentifier cannot be used as an address over one of the communicationmodes, then a specific identifier is derived for each of thesecommunication modes (step 211). This derivation can be performed byconcatenating (or “encapsulating”) the core identifier with alphanumerictext utilized in the address scheme of the particular communicationmode. In this example, the core identifier, as an 800 number, is usablevia a telephony network (e.g., network 143). Therefore the coreidentifier can be utilized for one of the communication modes, whilesecondary identifiers are generated for the other communication modes,per step 213. The subscriber is allotted an instant messaging address,and an e-mail address as follows: 8001234567@oneme.com. The subscribercan further be assigned a web address of www.8001234567.oneme.com. Eachof these secondary identifiers contains the core identifier of“8001234567.” Any form of identifier, address or alias may be used tospecify the called subscriber. By utilizing some common textualinformation among the identifiers, any of these addresses can be readilyderived from one another. The improved degree of commonality among theseaddresses also facilitates operation of the directory function supportedby the directory 111. As another example, the primary number can bearbitrary or assigned by the business employer. The assigned identifiercan also be textual representations provided that a suitabletext-to-telephone number mapping occurs within the overlay network 101to allow for traditional telephone processing, which is number based.This mapping can occur in the directory 111 or similar such directories(not shown).

In certain conventional text paging environments, identifiers have beenused such that a telephone number of a particular pager corresponds toan e-mail address by which messages may be addressed to the same pager.In other words, the telephone number and e-mail address resolve to thesame address, wherein the telephone number and e-mail address are unableto reach end devices other than the pager. In contrast, the overlaynetwork 101 provides for feature processing wherein communicationsdirected to a common address may result in establishment ofcommunication with different devices. The telephone number and e-mailaddress, which are used to reach a subscriber, may for purposes ofachieving a unified suite of identifiers for the subscriber, bedecoupled from an actual telephone number associated with a pager, andthe pager may actually be provided by a different service provider thanthe one through which telephone and e-mail services are provided to thesubscriber.

Also, in conventional text paging systems, the addressing is not freelyextensible to, for example, an instant messaging screen name because thepaging service provider does not also operate an IM service for thepaging customer and does not have control of IM addresses through IMproviders.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an intelligent service node capable ofimplementing the services overlay network of FIG. 1. Continuing with theexample of FIG. 2A, the subscriber to the services of the servicesoverlay network 101 is associated with a unique logical address, whichin this case is a unique “800” telephone number. A calling party whowishes to contact the subscriber calls the subscriber's “800” number,causing the telephone call to be switched to an intelligent servicesnode (ISN) platform 301. The routing of the call based upon the dialingof an “800” number is well known in the field of telephony intelligentnetworks, whereby such routing can be performed according to SignalingSystem 7 (SS7) using Transaction Capabilities Application Part (TCAP)messages.

To initiate a call to a subscriber, a calling party using a telephonedevice 303 to contact the ISN platform 301 by dialing a specifictelephone “1-800-123-4567.” This telephone number corresponds to one ofthe suite of secondary identifiers that is derived from the subscriber'sprimary identifier, namely “8001234567.”

It should be understood that the “call” may arrive in ways other than atelephone connection. For example, a party using an instant messagingclient 305 may similarly access the ISN platform 301 and interact withthe platform 301 via automated response system or manual operator inpursuit of the subscriber. A call from the IM client 305 may be handledusing feature processing similar to a telephone call, but the handlingof the call may be differentiated based on the nature of the IM client305 and its capabilities, available bandwidth, etc.

Upon placing a telephone call to, or otherwise contacting theintelligent services node (ISN) platform 301, the calling party can bepresented with the options of finding the subscriber, attempting toreach the subscriber by instant messaging or e-mail or being routed intovoice mail, or this can occur automatically without requiring userintervention.

In FIG. 3, the subscriber is associated with several possibleterminations, such as telephones 307 a-d, IM client 305, other networkdevice 306 (such as entertainment or information console (e.g.,television or gaming systems)), a voice mail repository 309, and ane-mail system 311. Each termination corresponds to a logical address,location, device or modality by which the called party may be contactedor by which an inbound call may at least be terminated or handled byvoice mail, for example. Conventional telephone terminations may bereached via conventional telephone networks as indicated by switchnetwork 313 and PSTN 315. Although not shown, some telephones may becoupled to the PSTN 315 through a Private Branch Exchange (PBX).

The IP phone 307 d can communicate via a data network, such as a packetnetwork 317. The packet network 317 also provides data communicationsbetween ISN platform 301 and several network elements that accepttextual data or streaming data representing audio or other media. Theseelements include IM client 305, voice mail repository 309 and e-mailsystem 311. As shown and previously mentioned, an intelligentinformation translator 318 is provided for translating among differentcommunication modalities and supporting such translation services astext-to-speech, one type of speech to another type of speech, videoencoding types, etc.

The communication system 300 utilizes a log database 319 that recordsnetwork events occurring during the course of providing services. Thislog may record a variety of information and may be useful to providebillable usage information, assist in traffic engineering and frauddetection, and to provide the subscriber with useful data andstatistics.

An inbound call may be routed and processed in a variety of ways as thecommunications system acts upon a calling party's request. The manner inwhich inbound calls are handled may be controlled by a profileassociated with the subscriber and maintained in a feature managementdatabase 321. The subscriber may exercise control over the profile toaffect how calls are handled and to where calls are directed. A portionof the profile may relate to a set of contact locations, such astelephone numbers, which should be tried when the subscriber is to becontacted. In an exemplary embodiment, these contacts include an officetelephone, a mobile phone, a home telephone or addresses correspondingto other locations or devices to be contacted. The profile can alsoindicate such user preferences as time of day, and whether parallel,sequential, or overlapping logic is to be used for handling answeringscenarios.

To improve the efficiency of handling an inbound call, presenceinformation of the subscriber can be used to determine the bestcommunication mode for contacting the subscriber. If it can bedetermined that, at the time of an inbound call, the subscriber islocated with certainty at a specific one of the listed contacts and isreceptive to communications, then that contact may be triedpreferentially (or designated with higher priority). Likewise, if it canbe determined that the subscriber is probably unavailable via a givencontact, then attempts to reach the party via that contact may beavoided or at least used as a last resort.

Current or updated presence information for the subscriber is maintainedin a presence information server 323, which may also be referred to as apresence database or location server. In the course of handling theinbound call from calling station 303, the ISN platform 301 may consultthe presence information server 323 to determine what communicationmechanisms are available for reaching the subscriber, along with thecontact addresses or locations that should be tried. The presenceinformation, in an exemplary embodiment, is determined from thesubscriber being logged onto an IM client 305. Also, the subscriber canexplicitly indicate at one of the telephone devices 307, such as userregistration at an IP phone 307 d, that they are receptive tocommunications at a particular location or telephone number.

Also shown in FIG. 3 is a feature management server 321, which providespersistent feature-related information to be used in the course ofhandling calls. According to one embodiment of the present invention,the server 321 stores a profile associated with the subscriber. Aspreviously indicated, this subscriber profile may contain, for example,a list of telephone numbers, contact addresses or other resources viawhich a subscriber may receive communications. Some typical profileinformation is depicted in FIG. 4.

Processing a given call involves interaction among recent presenceinformation from the presence information server 323 andfeature-controlling information from the feature management server 321.In addition, a directory function supported by a directory database 325correlates the dialed number to a particular subscriber and supportdirectory lookup functions that may be needed by the ISN platform 301.The ISN platform 301 can also provide assistance by way of a manualoperator 327 for establishing communications, supplementing theautomated response system, or helping with special needs or relayservices.

The ISN platform 301 can supply a calling party with a variety ofoptions during the process of attempting to reach a called party.Conventionally, such an inbound call would merely result in a callattempt to a single telephone number, with perhaps rollover to paging orvoice-mail. Furthermore, the same destination telephone number would beused for every inbound call without any differentiation based onpresence information or other features, except perhaps call forwarding.By contrast, within the system 300, once a calling party has madecontact with ISN platform 301, the interaction proceeds with the callingparty being presented options for communicating with the subscriber. Thecalling party is initially greeted with a prompt such as: “Welcome toOneMe. Please enter your PIN or choose one of the following options.”Depending on the options for which the subscriber is configured (andperhaps taking into account presence information of the subscriber), thecalling party is provided with, for example, various options. Thecalling party can select a “Find” option, which will cause the ISNplatform 301 to attempt communications with the subscriber via one ormore contacts, such as a set of contacts depicted in FIG. 4.

Alternatively, the calling party can select a second option, such as an“IM” option, to initiate contact with the subscriber via the IM client305. Various techniques by which communications may even be establishedbetween the IM client 305 and a telephone connection are described inco-pending U.S. patent application, entitled “Telephony Services Systemwith Instant Communications Enhancements” (Ser. No. 10/404,094), filedApr. 2, 2003, and co-pending U.S. patent application, entitled“Messaging Response System” (Ser. No. 10/404,111), filed Apr. 2, 2003;both of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

A third option, e-mail option, can be provided, whereby the subscriberis notified by e-mail of the inbound call having occurred, along withthe textual transcription of the calling party's speech or audioannotation, or imbedded media bearing a recording of the calling party(or links to where recordings are stored).

In the fourth option, the calling party may elect to have the callconnected directly to a voice mail (VM) or video system 309, so that themessage can be later delivered via transfer or streaming to a recipientdevice 305, 308, and 311. It is also contemplated that othercommunication options can be presented, such as paging, facsimiledeposit, intermittent communications via push-to-talk devices, etc.

If the inbound call is actually from the subscriber seeking to accesstheir own voice (or video) mail or other functions, then the callingparty may supply a Personal Identification Number (PIN) number to becomeauthenticated and to gain access to the subscriber functions.

It is recognized that special circumstances may arise when multiplecontacts are attempted contemporaneously. It is possible that more thanone telephone will be answered at nearly the same time. It is alsoconceivable that some contacts that correspond to the telephones mayeach have an associated auto-attendant or voice mail capability forautomatically handling inbound calls. In accordance with an embodimentof the present invention, a calling party does not receive the ringbackor call progress indicator signals that would normally arise from eachcontact (as if they were contacted individually). Instead, the callingparty receives a ring back signal or interacts with the operator 327 inthe ISN platform 301 as call attempts are made to the called party.

During such processing, the ISN platform 301 provides interactivity withany users who have answered the telephones. As each phone line isanswered, the ISN platform 301 presents information about who the callis for and/or who is calling. The answering user on each answered lineis prompted to accept or decline the inbound call. If none of theanswering parties accepts the call, then the contacts are treated thesame as a declined or unanswered call and the call may be forwarded to aparticular voice mail, video, or e-mail system associated with thesubscriber, if so configured.

The above approach avoids conflicts among multiple voice mail ortelephone answering services. If an answering user accepts the call andall other calls go unanswered or are declined, then the call isconnected to the party who accepted the call. If multiple lines areanswered in response to the inbound call and the call is accepted bymultiple answering parties, then the parties become coupled to thecalling party in a conferencing or “party line” fashion, similar to themanner in which multiple parties on an analog telephone line may hearone another. This may be useful so that the parties may coordinate withone another about who should remain on the call.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing exemplary content of a user profile, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As earlydescribed, the user or subscriber profile can specify a set of contactlocations. The profile may also contain configurable settings thatrelated to calling feature functionality, privileges, serviceattributes, billing information, time-of-day dependent features, andother user-associated attributes that affect the handling ofcommunications by the service providing system. Certain attributes inthe profile may be directly reviewed and edited by the associatedsubscriber, whereas other attributes, such as subscriber privileges, maybe controlled by a service provider or a designated administrator (as istypical in a business enterprise).

Upon initially establishing a profile, the service provider may providefor default communications settings. Default settings can be institutedby the service provider system automatically based on user behavior orother factors, such as time of day or day of week.

FIG. 4 shows four tables as examples of the type of information that maybe contained in the profile associated with a subscriber; the subscriberprofile may be changed to affect how services are implemented for thesubscriber. Table 401 is an e-mail forwarding list. A phone contacttable 403 provides a list of telephone numbers, and table 405 is a listof IM addresses. As the subscriber initially subscribes to such aservice, the phone contact table 403 may have the subscriber's telephonenumber entered as the first entry. This default condition causes thesystem to initially act effectively as a “personal 800-number” service.

After the service is initialized, the subscriber may add telephonenumbers to table 403 so that, for example, a “Find me” service may beimplemented. As shown in table 403, each telephone number may beassociated with a configuration button 407, so that attributes of eachcontact telephone number can be set by the subscriber. In an exemplaryembodiment, these attributes include the type of device (such astelephone, pager, fax, voice-mail, etc.), number of rings to allowbefore abandoning the number, time of day features associated with theeach number and other attributes. Furthermore, as shown by checkbox 409,the subscriber may indicate that inbound calls are to be handled bycontacting all of the contacts provided in table 403.

Where inbound communications and the invocation of features involvereaching the subscriber by e-mail, table 401 is consulted to determineone or more addresses at which the subscriber may be reached. Thesubscriber may exercise control over the entries in this table.

Table 405 is consulted to determine one or more IM addresses at whichthe subscriber may be reached. The subscriber can edit the contents ofthis table 405 to cause IM messages or other communications that may bereceived at an IM client to be forwarded to the desired addresses. Table411 provides a list of other network devices, and is accessed todetermine whether any other device that is capable of receivingcommunications on behalf of the subscriber.

When a calling party seeks a subscriber, the contacts provided for thesubscriber can be attempted sequentially, simultaneously in an staggeredor overlapping fashion and with some preferences observed (or any suchcombinations), depending upon the logic employed by the system and/orthe preferences of the subscriber as expressed, for example, in tables401, 403 and 405 in FIG. 4. The contacts may be presence-related. Thatis, the complement of contacts provided may be dependent upon presenceinformation for the subscriber.

A subscriber may access their profile information and other functions ofthe system in a variety of ways. For instance, through a telephoneconnection or other form of audio interface, subscribers may access avoice response unit or voice portal, allowing them to review and makemodifications to their profile information, account information andother pertinent aspects of the features provided by the network. Thesubscriber may also check messages or other stored communicationstendered by the network, as well as check the log of activities toobserve communications activities that have occurred. The subscriber canchange their presence status or may temporarily override aspects of howinbound calls are handled. Any of these facilities that can be accessedor controlled by the subscriber can be accessed through Webapplications, text messaging, e-mail, or any other form of communicationby which the subscriber would normally communicate with other parties.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of an instant communication environment supportingthe communication services of FIG. 1. As noted, depending on the serviceconfiguration, a subscriber may be notified of an incoming call (or,more generally, a communications attempt) from another party via IMclient. Through instant messaging from the ISN platform 301, thesubscriber may be informed of the calling party's identity or otherassociated information as derived from a variety of possible sources,such as corporate or network directories.

Furthermore, the subscriber may be able to alter the handling of thecall via instant messaging. For example, the subscriber may use instantmessaging to instruct the ISN platform 301 to forward the call to voicemail or to another destination. Alternatively, the subscriber may electto “take” the call using the instant messaging client as an audiointerface or a textual interface with text-speech translation beingprovided by the service provider. This scenario exemplifies severalimportant advantages to a comprehensive service offering usingin-network feature processing rather than relying upon processing at anend user device. The subscriber may also use instant messaging toperform a rollover from one mode of communication to another.

Accordingly, the notion of a “universal” message relay is effected. Theuniversal message relay allows a subscriber to receive communicationsvia a screen name that is derived from the primary identifier, even ifthe subscriber is actually using a different, perhaps pre-existingscreen name account on one of a multitude of IM services. As describedearlier, this allows a comprehensive communication provider to allocatea screen name, consistent with the subscriber's suite of identifiers,without worrying about conflicts with other screen names or addresses.

The arrangement of FIG. 5 illustrates an approach to accomplish aremapping of addresses and rerouting of traffic such that the screenname adopted for the overlay services is independent of whateverparticular IM services and screen names the subscriber employs. Themapping of the users' assigned screen name to one or more IM screennames is determined by a list in the subscriber's profile information,as shown in FIG. 4.

In the example of FIG. 5, within communication system 500, an IM client501 seeks to communicate with a subscriber by addressing messagingcommunications to a screen name derived from the primary identifierassociated with the subscriber. Another IM client 503 represents an IMclient through which the subscriber communicates through an IM serviceprovider 505. An IM client 507 represents another client through whichthe subscriber can communicate using a different IM service provider509. As mentioned before, different IM service providers 505, 509 mayuse proprietary software, techniques and protocols which are generallynot compatible among providers. Nevertheless, in accordance with thepresent teachings, a single communication addressed to the subscriberusing a screen name based on the primary identifier described herein maybe routed to either or both of the different types of clients 503 and507.

Furthermore, the addresses by which IM client 501 may directcommunications to these other clients are entirely independent of thescreen names by which each of the clients is known in their respectiveIM services.

A user using IM client 501 may contact a service provider system 511 andinteract with, and engage the services of, an automatic or manualoperator (e.g., operator 327 of FIG. 3) to assist in establishingcommunications. The service provider system 511 may provide the samearray of services and interactivity as the ISN platform 301.

In response to a request from IM client 501 to establish communicationswith a subscriber associated with IM client 503 or 507, the serviceprovider system 511 accesses profile information pertaining to thesubscriber. Part of this profile information, similar to the table 405,may provide the service provider system 511 with a mapping of the screenname used by IM client 501 to the screen names, corresponding to IMclients 503 or 507. The profile information may also direct the serviceprovider system to invoke features related to establishing contactbetween IM client 501 and the other IM clients shown, or perhaps otherdevices associated with the subscriber.

It is noted that because various IM services may employ differenttechniques and servers and networks that the service provider system511, in order to forward messaging communications to the IM clients 503,507, may need to be adapted to the protocols and interfaces for properoperation with the respective systems 505, 509. Consequently, connectors(or gateways) 513 and 515 are used to interface the service providersystem 511 to the particular requirements of corresponding IM messagingenvironments (which generally are proprietary). It should be noted that,because communications from another party may originate from an IMclient 501 that is compliant with disparate IM services, some additionalmeasures may be needed to ensure that service provider system 511 isreceptive to communications from any possible originating IM client.Thus, it is noteworthy to point out that as communications enter from anIM client of one type and are coupled to an IM client belonging to thesubscriber, which may be of a different type, the service providersystem 511 also accomplishes a translation of sorts between different IMservices.

The combination of the service provider system 511 and one or moreconnectors 513, 515 which interface the service provider to IM servicescan constitute a Universal Message Relay network 517 which accomplishesthe task of decoupling the screen name used by IM client 501, which wasderived from the primary identifier for the target subscriber, from theparticular screen names that the subscriber uses in the various IMservices. This, in turn, allows a service provider to arbitrarily assigna screen name to the subscriber that is derived from the primaryidentifier and is correlated to analogous identifiers used in othermodes of communication over which the service provider has control ofthe name space.

In an exemplary embodiment, the profile information associated withsubscribers, as well as other information that may affect howcommunications are established with the subscriber, can be stored inrouting instruction database 519 and made accessible to the serviceprovider system 511. In the course of processing other features that maybe invoked in response to the request from IM client 501, the serviceprovider system 511 may also access presence information pertaining tothe subscriber as stored or maintained in a presence informationdatabase 521.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of an exemplary graphical user interface (GUI) forsupporting Find and Presence functions, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention. As shown, a computer user interface desktop 600has several activatable controls related to communications over theservices overlay network 101. These controls may reside on the desktopof the interface provided to the user or may be provided as toolbaricons presented in conjunction with applications being run on thecomputer.

In this example, a button 601, labeled “Find,” can be activated by auser to access one or more directory services of the overlay network101; such directory services are more fully described below with respectto in FIG. 7. Activating this button 601 may provide the user withaddresses or contact information by which another party may be reached.Accessing this information may be preparatory to communications or maybe done simply to retrieve address information for reference purposes.

Additionally, a button 603, labeled “Determine Presence,” allows theuser to determine the current availability of a party. This isinformation is useful prior to attempting to establish communicationswith the party, which if known, can avoid waste of network resources andtime and effort of the subscriber. Having activated the button 601, theuser may have selected a particular party of interest and thisinformation may serve as a context for invoking button 603 to determinepresence of that party.

A button 605, labeled “Communicate,” allows the user to take the nextstep of establishing communications with the identified party. Further,a button 607, labeled “My Presence Status,” allows the user to interactwith the network for altering their own presence indication within thenetwork. This is the presence indication that indicates availability ofthe user as it would be represented to other parties.

It should be noted that buttons 603, 605, 607 and preferably button 601access capabilities and functions within the network directly from theuser's desktop.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of the directories utilized in implementing the Findservice initiated by the GUI of FIG. 6, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention. Akin to accessing an enterprise address book forsending e-mails, a “Find” button 601 may access an active directory 701that is internal, for instance, to a business or enterprise. Throughcommunication with Web application or Web service 703, the button 601may avail the user of directories outside of the user's company or localdomain. For example, the user accesses directories 705 of othercompanies when the appropriate authorization mechanisms are in place. Aconnection 707 supports communication between the directories 705 andthe Web service 703. Through connection 709, at least part of thedirectory 701 being made available to other parties to Web service 703.It is recognized that mutually shared access of directory informationacross companies may be useful and appropriate for collaboration amongcompanies, promoting contact of sales and support personnel and othertypes of business relationships.

As seen in FIG. 7, the Web service 703 also interfaces with a userdatabase 711 that can store user (or subscriber) profile information, asdetailed with respect to FIG. 4. Additionally, a directory assistance(i.e., “411”) database 713 can be maintained by a service provider for alarge number of subscribers to the service.

It is contemplated that a comprehensive directory service as depicted inFIG. 7 may service requests through a variety of vehicles. For example,request for a directory look-up may be submitted from a user or anapplication via e-mail and the directory may act upon the request andprovide a response by e-mail or other means, perhaps as specified by therequestor.

As evident from the above discussion, a communications service providermay advantageously provide a comprehensive service that spans many modesof communications and provide allocation of coordinated identifiers toimprove the convenience of using the various modes. An approach is setforth for using a primary identifier to derive a set of addresses oridentifiers suitable for the various modes of communication supported.This addressing scheme permits integration of the several modes ofcommunication into a cohesive overall communication service with manysignificant practical and functional advantages. This approachfacilitates communications among parties by any available means andenables a rich feature set encompassing many modes of communication.Hence, a single “call origination” may explore many more possibilitiesand may entail greater interactivity and flexibility than previouslypossible.

The overlay network 101 of FIG. 1 centralizes, and provides ubiquitousaccess to, such elemental functions as presence indication and userprofile management which may now be commonly employed across any of theavailable modes of communication. The offering of a comprehensiveservice also allows for comprehensive tracking, accounting and billingfor usage activity across many modes of communication.

It is recognized that the functions of the overlay network 101 can beimplemented by any variety of computing systems, such as the one shownin FIG. 8.

FIG. 8 illustrates a computer system 800 upon which an embodimentaccording to the present invention can be implemented. The computersystem 800 includes a bus 801 or other communication mechanism forcommunicating information and a processor 803 coupled to the bus 801 forprocessing information. The computer system 800 also includes mainmemory 805, such as a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamicstorage device, coupled to the bus 801 for storing information andinstructions to be executed by the processor 803. Main memory 805 canalso be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediateinformation during execution of instructions by the processor 803. Thecomputer system 800 may further include a read only memory (ROM) 807 orother static storage device coupled to the bus 801 for storing staticinformation and instructions for the processor 803. A storage device809, such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, is coupled to the bus 801for persistently storing information and instructions.

The computer system 800 may be coupled via the bus 801 to a display 811,such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display, active matrixdisplay, or plasma display, for displaying information to a computeruser. An input device 813, such as a keyboard including alphanumeric andother keys, is coupled to the bus 801 for communicating information andcommand selections to the processor 803. Another type of user inputdevice is a cursor control 815, such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursordirection keys, for communicating direction information and commandselections to the processor 803 and for controlling cursor movement onthe display 811.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the processes forsupporting universal identifiers can be provided by the computer system800 in response to the processor 803 executing an arrangement ofinstructions contained in main memory 805. Such instructions can be readinto main memory 805 from another computer-readable medium, such as thestorage device 809. Execution of the arrangement of instructionscontained in main memory 805 causes the processor 803 to perform theprocess steps described herein. One or more processors in amulti-processing arrangement may also be employed to execute theinstructions contained in main memory 805. In alternative embodiments,hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination withsoftware instructions to implement the embodiment of the presentinvention. In another example, reconfigurable hardware such as FieldProgrammable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) can be used, in which the functionalityand connection topology of its logic gates are customizable at run-time,typically by programming memory look up tables. Thus, embodiments of thepresent invention are not limited to any specific combination ofhardware circuitry and software.

The computer system 800 also includes a communication interface 817coupled to bus 801. The communication interface 817 provides a two-waydata communication coupling to a network link 819 connected to a localnetwork 821. For example, the communication interface 817 may be adigital subscriber line (DSL) card or modem, an integrated servicesdigital network (ISDN) card, a cable modem, a telephone modem, or anyother communication interface to provide a data communication connectionto a corresponding type of communication line. As another example,communication interface 817 may be a local area network (LAN) card(e.g., for Ethernet™ or an Asynchronous Transfer Model (ATM) network) toprovide a data communication connection to a compatible LAN. Wirelesslinks can also be implemented. In any such implementation, communicationinterface 817 sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic, or opticalsignals that carry digital data streams representing various types ofinformation. Further, the communication interface 817 can includeperipheral interface devices, such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB)interface, a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card InternationalAssociation) interface, etc. Although a single communication interface817 is depicted in FIG. 8, multiple communication interfaces can also beemployed.

The network link 819 typically provides data communication through oneor more networks to other data devices. For example, the network link819 may provide a connection through local network 821 to a hostcomputer 823, which has connectivity to a network 825 (e.g., a wide areanetwork (WAN) or the global packet data communication network nowcommonly referred to as the “Internet”) or to data equipment operated bya service provider. The local network 821 and the network 825 both useelectrical, electromagnetic, or optical signals to convey informationand instructions. The signals through the various networks and thesignals on the network link 819 and through the communication interface817, which communicate digital data with the computer system 800, areexemplary forms of carrier waves bearing the information andinstructions.

The computer system 800 can send messages and receive data, includingprogram code, through the network(s), the network link 819, and thecommunication interface 817. In the Internet example, a server (notshown) might transmit requested code belonging to an application programfor implementing an embodiment of the present invention through thenetwork 825, the local network 821 and the communication interface 817.The processor 803 may execute the transmitted code while being receivedand/or store the code in the storage device 809, or other non-volatilestorage for later execution. In this manner, the computer system 800 mayobtain application code in the form of a carrier wave.

The term “computer-readable medium” as used herein refers to any mediumthat participates in providing instructions to the processor 805 forexecution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limitedto non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media.Non-volatile media include, for example, optical or magnetic disks, suchas the storage device 809. Volatile media include dynamic memory, suchas main memory 805. Transmission media include coaxial cables, copperwire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise the bus 801.Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic, optical, orelectromagnetic waves, such as those generated during radio frequency(RF) and infrared (IR) data communications. Common forms ofcomputer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexibledisk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM,CDRW, DVD, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, opticalmark sheets, any other physical medium with patterns of holes or otheroptically recognizable indicia, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM,any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave, or any other mediumfrom which a computer can read.

Various forms of computer-readable media may be involved in providinginstructions to a processor for execution. For example, the instructionsfor carrying out at least part of the present invention may initially beborne on a magnetic disk of a remote computer. In such a scenario, theremote computer loads the instructions into main memory and sends theinstructions over a telephone line using a modem. A modem of a localcomputer system receives the data on the telephone line and uses aninfrared transmitter to convert the data to an infrared signal andtransmit the infrared signal to a portable computing device, such as apersonal digital assistant (PDA) or a laptop. An infrared detector onthe portable computing device receives the information and instructionsborne by the infrared signal and places the data on a bus. The busconveys the data to main memory, from which a processor retrieves andexecutes the instructions. The instructions received by main memory canoptionally be stored on storage device either before or after executionby processor.

The following patent applications are incorporated by reference in theirentireties: co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/975,595,filed Oct. 28, 2004, entitled “Comprehensive Communication ServicesSystem”; co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/975,971, filedOct. 28, 2004, entitled “Method and System for Providing Universal RelayServices”; co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/975,214, filedOct. 28, 2004, entitled “Method and System for Extended DirectoryService.”

While the present invention has been described in connection with anumber of embodiments and implementations, the present invention is notso limited but covers various obvious modifications and equivalentarrangements, which fall within the purview of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: determining a universalidentifier for a party with respect to an overlay network in response toa request to establish a communication session with the party over theoverlay network; selecting one of a plurality of communication modesprovided by the overlay network; determining a specific identifierderived from the universal identifier according to the selectedcommunication mode for establishing the communication session in theselected communication mode; generating the specific identifier byconcatenating the universal identifier with an alphanumeric textassociated with one of the communication modes; selecting another one ofthe communication modes for determining another specific identifier; andtranslating a first communication protocol corresponding to the selectedone of the communication modes to a second communication protocolcorresponding to the selected other one of the communication modes.
 2. Amethod according to claim 1, wherein the universal identifier includes atoll free telephone number.
 3. A method according to claim 1, whereinthe overlay network provides presence information concerningavailability of the party, and wherein the specific identifier includeseither an electronic mail address, an instant messaging identifier, or aweb address.
 4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:receiving a subscription request for communication services of theoverlap network.
 5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the specificidentifier includes the universal identifier.
 6. A method according toclaim 1, further comprising: retrieving a plurality of specificidentifiers derived from the universal identifier and corresponding tothe respective communication modes; and concurrently initiating aplurality of communication sessions using the plurality of specificidentifiers.
 7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:determining presence information for the party, wherein the selection ofthe communication mode is based on the determined presence information.8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the presence informationpertains to a subscriber of communication services of the overlapnetwork as stored or maintained in a presence information database. 9.An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memoryincluding computer program code for one or more programs, the at leastone memory and the computer program code configured to, with the atleast one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least thefollowing, determine a universal identifier for a party with respect toan overlay network in response to a request to establish a communicationsession with the party over the overlay network, select one of aplurality of communication modes provided by the overlay network,determine a specific identifier derived from the universal identifieraccording to the selected communication mode for establishing thecommunication session in the selected communication mode, generate thespecific identifier by concatenating the universal identifier with analphanumeric text associated with one of the communication modes, selectanother one of the communication modes for determining another specificidentifier, and translate a first communication protocol correspondingto the selected one of the communication modes to a second communicationprotocol corresponding to the selected other one of the communicationmodes.
 10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the universalidentifier includes a toll free telephone number.
 11. An apparatusaccording to claim 9, wherein the specific identifier includes either anelectronic mail address, an instant messaging identifier, or a webaddress.
 12. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the apparatus isfurther caused to: receive a subscription request for communicationservices of the overlap network.
 13. An apparatus according to claim 9,wherein the specific identifier includes the universal identifier. 14.An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the apparatus is furthercaused to: retrieve a plurality of specific identifiers derived from theuniversal identifier and corresponding to the respective communicationmodes; and concurrently initiate a plurality of communication sessionsusing the plurality of specific identifiers.
 15. An apparatus accordingto claim 9, wherein the apparatus is further caused to: determinepresence information for the party, wherein the selection of thecommunication mode is based on the determined presence information. 16.An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the presence informationpertains to a subscriber of communication services of the overlapnetwork as stored or maintained in a presence information database. 17.A system comprising: a user profile database configured to store aplurality of universal identifiers associated with a plurality of users;an overlay network interface configured to provide a common access pointto an overlay network service to provide a plurality of communicationmodes for communication with one of the user; and a translatorconfigured, as part of the overlay network service, to translate a firstcommunication protocol corresponding to a first communication mode to asecond communication protocol corresponding to a second communicationmode; wherein each of the universal identifiers is used to generate aplurality of specific identifiers corresponding respectively to theplurality of communication modes by concatenating the universalidentifiers with alphanumeric texts associated with the plurality ofcommunication modes.
 18. A system according to claim 17, wherein each ofthe universal identifiers includes a toll free telephone number, and thecorresponding specific identifiers include an electronic mail address,an instant messaging identifier, and a web address.
 19. A systemaccording to claim 7, further comprising: a presence database configuredto store presence information for the users to assist with selection ofone of the communication modes for the corresponding users.
 20. A systemaccording to claim 17, wherein the overlay network service is providedas a subscription service.